Bow guide for violins and the like stringed musical instruments



Jan. 13, 1931. P. K. AUENSEN 1,739,210

BOW GUIDE FOR VIOLINS AND THE LIKE STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed May 22, 1929 Patented Jan. 13, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PEDER KONRAD AUENSEN, OF VESTRE AKER, NEAR OSLO, NORWAY BOW GUIDE FOR VIOLINS AND THE LIKE STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Application filed May 22, 1929, Serial No. 365,177, and in Norway April 7, 1928.

The present invention relates to musical instruments and more particularly to a novel guide for the bow in connection with violins and the like stringed instruments.

One object of the present invention is to provide a guide for the bow as stated above, which to a great extent will help the student musician to move the bow across the strings in correct angular relation to said strings.

Another object of this invention is to pro vide a guide for the aforesaid purpose which is simple and cheap to make and which, without special skill and without special tools, can be applied in position on a variety of dif ferent instruments of the same type, and

which then will remain in place without the need of screws or other fastening implements.

The guide according to this invention may be manufactured from steel wire or sheet material, and it consists mainly of two loopshaped members arranged in suitably spaced parallel relation to each other across the top oi the instrument between the bridge and the end of the finger board and at such an angle to the plane of the top of the instrument that the bow, when placed in position between the two members will rest against one or another of the strings with the body of the bow in a plane substantially vertical to said string.

I have found in practice that students, taking lessons on the violin and using the novel guide according to this invention, very quickly acquire the habit of moving the hand. and the elbow in the proper way, and that the muscles will be trained so that it will be possible after a surprisingly short time to abandon the guide, playing clean notes without it.

The accompanying drawing represents an embodiment of the invention, in which:

Fig. 1 shows in perspective view a violin with the guide attached to it.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental side view of Fig. 1,

illustrating the angular relation between the guide and the strings and the top of the violin.

Fig. 3 shows a transverse section through the violin of Fig. 1, taken just behind the bridge on line Fig. 2.

In the drawing, a is a violin with a bridge Z), a finger board 0 and strings e. The violin proper consists of the top f, the sides 9 and h and the back i.

According to the invention, a guide is arranged across the top of the violin, consisting of two loop-shaped elements 1 and 2 of springy material, such as heavy piano wire, the ends of which are provided with suitably bent portions 8-3 and 4-4 to form clamps or clasps which grip over the outstanding edges of the top or the back. The two guide elements 1 and 2 are rigidly held in relation to each other by means of adjustable spacing or binding members 6 and 7, 8 and 9, two on each side.

The object of the guide is, as stated above, to maintain the bow in proper angular rela tion to the strings. For this reason the guide must be tilted at a certain angle towards the finger board as may be seen in Fig. 2.

The angle between the guide and the top of the violin may vary with dilierent types of instruments; but it has been found that an angle of 87 will be most suitable for any average violin.

, hen the guide is to be used, it is snapped on the violin by bending the two legs out.

The portions 33 and 4- 1: of the legs will then catch over the edge, holding the guide rigidly in place. The distance between the two elements 1, 2 being suitably adjusted, the rod will rest against the sides of the guide, whichwhen the bow is moved back and forthwill all the time maintain proper angular relation between the bow and the string.

The guide may be rectangular, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, or it may be bent over to the left as shown in full lines, making it possible to move the bow practically up to the strings.

As clearly shown on the drawing, the loopshaped guide elements 1 and 2 are provided with bars 6 and 7 to limit the angular movement of the bow in a plane between the legs of the guide on both sides of the strings.

I claim as my invention:

1. For violins and the like stringed instruments, a guide for the bow consisting of two loop-shaped and spaced parallel members, arranged transversely on the top of the instrument to limit the angular movement of the how when placed in said guide in contact relation to the strings, said guide members having flexible legs terminating in spring hooks to snap over the opposite edges of the instrument for the purpose of rigidly attaching the guide to the instrument.

2. For violins and the like stringed instruments, a guide for the bow consisting of two loop-shaped and spaced parallel members arranged transversely on the top of the instrument to limit the angular movement of the how when placed in said guide in contact relation to the strings, said guide members being made of springy metal Wires fastened to gether by means of adjustable spacers and tern'iinating in spring hooks to snap over the opposite edges of the instrument for the pur pose of rigidly attaching the guide to the instrument; the right side of said guide being bent towards the strings so as to avoid limiting the movement of the hand.

3. A bow-guide according to claim 1, in which the two guide members consist of springy metal wires fastened together by adjustable spacers.

4. A bow-guide for stringed musical instruments, comprising two adjacent loopshaped guide members having legs, arranged above and across the strings, and which limit the angular movements of the bow relatively to the strings, characterized by the fact that the legs of said members are arranged unsymmetrically relatively to the longitudinal axis of the instrument, so that the hand operating the bow, placed correctly on the heel of the bow, can move up into the midst of the string system.

5. A bow-guide according to claim 4, charaeterized by the fact that the legs of the guide are made of spring material and are so constructed relatively to the instrument that they clip over the edges of said instru ment and are held in place by their spring action.

6. A bow-guide according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that one portion of one member of the guide which, in use, turns towards the bow-operating hand, is hlgher than the corresponding portion of the other leg, so as to force the same upward by the thumb of said operating hand when bowing with the heel of the bow, while 

